What Works for Literacy Difficulties?
AcceleRead AcceleWriteAcceleRead AcceleWrite
Reading Accuracy
Ratio Gain: 16.1 ✅✅✅✅
Effect Size: 0.55 ✅✅
Reading Comprehension
Ratio Gain: 7.7 ✅✅✅✅
Effect Size: n/a
Spelling
Ratio Gain: 9.8 ✅✅✅✅
Effect Size: n/a
Writing
Ratio Gain: n/a
Effect Size: n/a
Overview
Martin Miles in Devon and Vivienne Clifford in Harrow developed a scheme they called ‘The Talking Computer Project’ in 1992, trialled it in Somerset, and named the published version AcceleRead AcceleWrite, now available as an iPad app. The app provides ‘virtual’ cards, each with a series of sentences which the student reads one by one until they have memorised the sentence. The student then taps on the screen to input the sentence exactly as it appeared to them. The integrated text-to-speech function enables them to listen to what they have typed to check for errors. The process is repeated until the sentence is typed correctly and they can move on to the next level. There are eight levels of increasing difficulty and the student’s progress is tracked, showing how many attempts were made at each level and which levels have been completed.
Evaluation Summary
The original target group was children with dyslexic-type difficulties, but the programme is now used with children with other forms of literacy difficulty. Most of the data analysed in this report come from KS2, but it has been used in all school years from Y1 to Y11. Three sets of evaluation data are summarised. Pupils with reading difficulties from Primary schools and Secondary schools took part (but because the majority were Primary aged, and separate data were not given for the various year groups, this scheme has been listed only under Primary). Results were available from 3 studies, with children making between useful and remarkable gains in reading accuracy, and remarkable gains in reading comprehension and spelling.
Brooks's what works for literacy difficulties?
6th Edition (2020)
Lavan, G. & Talcott, J. B.
Related Links
Reading
Click here for all schemes with analysed data for improving reading accuracy and/or comprehension.
Spelling
Click here for all schemes with analysed data for improving spelling.
Writing
Click here for all schemes with analysed data for improving writing.
Research & Blog
Other Resources
from The School Psychology Service
Managing Challenging Behaviour in the Classroom (Dr Gary Lavan)
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